230 replies to this topic

[bleudauvergne]

I have made these friends, you see. They had us over for dinner, and on the terrace, they brought out these plastic 1.5 liter soda bottles, not very pretty, mind you, just brimming with murcky stuff. They asked if we'd like a "punch". His parents are from the isle of Reunion. Apparently each time that a distant aunt or uncle is planning to come and visit, they send ahead a large package containing several varieties of home made "punch" and necessary foodstuffs for surviving here in France. And this year, they sent the package, and then changed their travel plans so they were stocked up with several varieties. He says that the secret is a slowly caramelized raw sugar syrup, made at home. This is combined with fruit of various kinds, macerated in rum of the isle for months and months, and it keeps forever. We tried lychee (they are second or third generation Hong Kong immigrants to Reunion), pineapple, and other flavors. Lychee was really incredibly amazing. Pineapple was just heavenly, and I cannot remember what the other flavors were although I believe we did sample several others. My husband does not remember either. This is the nectar of the Gods! The only punch I ever knew was a kind of last minute thing involving lemons limes and sugar syrup. No long term maceration. Is this something truly worth investigating. Can anyone provide insight as I embark on my journey into the world of "punch"?

Also, does long term maceration and things like sugar added add to the alcohol content of this lovely aperetif? We were struck first off by the most agreable way it went down, then we realized that it was much more potent that we first thought. Thanks for any input you may provide.

-Lucy

edited to fix i before e except after c.

Edited by bleudauvergne, 26 February 2004 - 12:06 PM.

[BettyK]

Hi Bleudauvergne,

I've had the opportunity to sample quite a few "rhums arrangés" as they call it in Reunion Island.
Good stuff and very potent indeed. Their rum is 42% which could explain a lot of things.

I've never made "rhums arrangés" myself but I don't think it's rocket science. From what my cousins told me they use a few spices such as cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, coffee beans. Of course, there are probably as many recipes as the inhabitants of Reunion Island. Here's a
link to some recipes. Since you live in France, I assume you shouldn't have any problem with the language?

Have fun!

Edit: Forgot to mention that their rum is called "rhum charette". "Charette" means cart. The label has a cart full of sugar cane drawn by an ox. That's how they used to transport the sugar cane to the factory way back then.

Edited by BettyK, 06 March 2004 - 02:48 PM.

[gus_tatory]

...I've never made "rhums arrangés" myself but I don't think it's rocket science. From what my cousins told me they use a few spices such as cinnamon, cloves, vanilla, coffee beans. Of course, there are probably as many recipes as the inhabitants of Reunion Island...

i've had "rhums arranges" by a friend who actually went to L'ile de la Reunion. it was very sweet, aromatic, and very potent.
the funniest thing though is the French pronunciation of "punch" = "pawnssh".

[bleudauvergne]

Great Site! A vanilla bean seems like a great idea. The recipes on the wesite say to let it macerate for at least 3 months. This is a lot longer than the vin d'orange, which only macerates 1 month. I better get started now in order to be able to enjoy this during the summer!

-Lucy

[bostonapothecary]

i thought i'd hijack and revive this thread on punch. i've made long term macerated punches like the one described in the first post but i've also started making more "fresher" styles because lately i've been entertaining lots of people at the same time and have been looking for an easy to put together low maintenance collective experience...

the holidays are upon us... what are people making?

my latest was the "french top punch" for a bunch of back of the house industry people...

375 ml fernet branca
375 ml chambord
375 ml lemon juice
750 - 1500 ml brut sparkling wine
i chilled all the booze and juice in the fridge to start and then use chunks of ice to maintain the chill...

this went over really well with its fernet fanatical audience.

[Fat Guy]

moderator's note: merged topic -- ca

Our son's nursery school is having a big casino-night event in February as a fundraiser and one of the things they want to do is have a custom-designed cocktail. Or I suppose it could be a classic cocktail repurposed.

There are two components here: the cocktail and the name.

The cocktail has got to be something fairly straightforward that can be, most likely, batched and mixed by whatever bartenders happen to be sent over by whatever catering service (I imagine we're looking at 200-300 cocktails for the evening). It should utilize off-the-shelf, commonly available ingredients. Maybe there could be one specialized ingredient that I could acquire a bunch of and contribute to the mix. It should be a crowd pleaser that non-cocktailians will find accessible. And, while this is not typically a concern outside the walls of PDT, it needs to be kosher (no bacon-, shrimp- or cheeseburger-based beverages).

In terms of the name, the name of the school is Habonim (ha-bow-neem, which I believe means "builders"), and it would be great to have a better name than "The Habonini" or "The Habotini." But Habonini or Habotini will do in a pinch.

Any thoughts on how to approach this project?

Edited by chrisamirault, 28 November 2008 - 10:50 AM.

[Chris Amirault]

Boy, this is up my alley.

I'd make a straightforward punch along the lines of Wondrich's Brandy Punch from the Esquire database and perhaps doll it up a bit with some fall spices.

And, for names, I definitely think that it should be the Hab the Builder Punch.

[Fat Guy]

How much do you think that would suffer from being made with crap bar orange juice from concentrate? I figure that's what we're looking at if any fruit juices are utilized.

[Chris Amirault]

Mightily. But fresh OJ could be the one good ingredient here and you could probably get away with the rest being just ok.

ET clarify -- ca

Edited by chrisamirault, 29 October 2008 - 06:07 AM.

[Fat Guy]

Maybe I could provide fresh OJ and a couple of those soccer-ball-size ice spheres for the punch bowls (how do you make them?). I was at a dinner party the other night and that sphere lasted all night with no appreciable shrinkage -- you could have crashed the Titanic into that thing.

Brilliant name, by the way.

[Wild Bill Turkey]

Would be nice if the drink was "built" in the glass...

[Chris Amirault]

Maybe I could provide fresh OJ and a couple of those soccer-ball-size ice spheres for the punch bowls (how do you make them?).

Freeze water in two hemispherical bowls. Pour a little hot water across the surface of one and immediately lay the other directly atop it, then refreeze a bit. When you're ready, remove the ice from the bowls with a little hot water on each.

[slkinsey]

Steven, something like that Regent's Punch I made the other night would go down pretty easily. It's delicious, not particularly challenging to even the most finicky drinker, and you can tell your friends on the PTA that you're giving them a drink that is actually on the cutting edge of mixology. Believe me, a year from now, being able to say you were on on the Punch trend and had offered the famous Regent's Punch to your nursery school "way before it was cool to you people" will confer serious bragging rights.

[Fat Guy]

What would be a link to a reliable recipe?

[slkinsey]

Regent's Punch
(This is my recipe for George IV's favorite tipple, triangulated from two different recipes of the period.)

Using a vegetable peeler, peel two lemons, two small oranges and, if possible, one Seville orange (these are difficult to find and their season is extremely short; try www.citrusranch.com), avoiding as much as possible of the white pith.

Juice the lemons and the oranges, straining out the pulp.

In a large, sturdy bowl, muddle the peels with four ounces Demerara sugar until the sugar becomes impregnated with the citrus oils.

Make a pint of green tea (using two tea-bags or two teaspoons of loose tea). While this is still hot, pour it into the bowl with the peels, first removing the tea bags or straining out the loose tea.

Add the citrus juices, along with eight ounces VSOP cognac, two ounces dark, heavy rum (I like Inner Circle, Coruba or Gosling’s), and—here’s the problem—two ounces Batavia arrack. [van Oosten is the brand.]

Then add two ounces of pineapple syrup, which you have cleverly prepared the day before by cubing a ripe pineapple and soaking it overnight in a simple syrup which you made by bringing two parts Demerara or turbinado sugar and one part water to a simmer, stirring constantly, and letting it cool (use just enough to cover the pineapple and strain it through a fine sieve when you’re done; it’ll keep for a few days in the refrigerator).  [I have some pineapple syrup I can give you.]

Now add a large block of ice; you can order these from your local ice company, or make it yourself (follow [chrisamirault's] instructions, above).

Finally, after everything has sat for long enough to catch a chill, gently stir in one bottle of brut champagne or, if you're feeling flush, two. Your punch is completed. It should serve about eight people.

Edited by slkinsey, 29 October 2008 - 07:30 AM.

[Chris Amirault]

I had considered some other punches but didn't think that they met the "off-the-shelf" and "fairly straightforward" criteria above. However, if you can recruit the kinder to muddle and mix, that could help out plenty.

[slkinsey]

For something like the Regent's Punch, it would be relatively easy (and inexpensive) to make the "base" at home and bring it. This is to say, do the whole bit with peeling the citrus and muddling with sugar, making the green tea and pouring it over the peels and sugar, adding the pineapple syrup, adding the juice from the citrus, even adding the arrack. At this point, all the people at the venue would have to do is pour in the brandy and rum, pour in the punch base, and add the champagne.

[Fat Guy]

The trouble is that any prepared items to be consumed at the venue will have to be prepared in the venue's kosher kitchen that afternoon. And I doubt I can claim much if any space there -- it's really small. I might be able to do ice soccer balls at home but probably not syrups and such.

[slkinsey]

Your kosher kitchen at home isn't good enough for them?

[thirtyoneknots]

So since the Regent's Punch came up I thought I might ask a few questions since I was thinking about making a batch this Friday for a little get-together we're having. I had seen this recipe quoted here before but couldn't remember on what thread so I had been working off the one from Killer Cocktails, which differs only in a few minor details. So I was wondering about the following points of the recipe and would appreciate any pointers from Mr. Kinsey, Mr. Wondrich, or anyone else who has made this.

How clutch is the inclusion of seville oranges? I was going to just use all Valencias but is it still worth proceeding this way? I've never had a seville but my image of them suggests they would supply some additional acid and bitterness from the peel. Could this be compensated for by adding more lemon and/or a spoon of orange bitters, or is it even necessary?

The KC recipe calls for Wray & Nephew Rum in place of the then-unavailable Batavia Arrack. In such a small quantity is there a marked difference? I have some Arrack brought back by a travelling friend, but of course not knowing when I could get more I'd prefer to use the readily available WNOP. If it makes a significant difference to the end result I'll use the Arrack though of course, why have it if you're not going to use it?

How much champagne (or sparkling wine in my case) do you recommend? The recipe above suggests 1-2 bottles, which would be 2-4 bottles in the larger KC recipe. Is more really more here, or is just 'sportier'? I would assume that more wine would help dry out what appears to be a slightly sweet recipe (although I imagine punch in a bowl needs to be sweeter than individual drinks). Any thoughts on quantity here, and while we're at I assume inexpensive Spanish Cava or French Cremant will do fine here as it normally does for my purposes, any that you would avoid or will Cristalino suffice?

Thanks in advance, this is only my second or third attempt at large-bowl punch making, and I definitely want to minimize the trial and error with the expense involved.

-Andy

[JAZ]

How much do you think that would suffer from being made with crap bar orange juice from concentrate? I figure that's what we're looking at if any fruit juices are utilized.

Some of the pasteurized, not-from-concentrate juices are decent in cocktails. One thing about citrus juice and club soda, though -- make sure you strain the pulp out of the juice (or buy the kind without pulp, if you're buying it), because when you pour in the club soda, the bubbles will attract all the pulp and bring it to the surface in a nasty looking raft.

[Peter the eater]

Boy, this is up my alley.

That was my first thought too!

[Fat Guy]

I was searching around for some credible punch recipes and came across this one for Rocky Mountain Punch in a piece by Julie Besonen in the New York Daily News. It appears to be an old recipe handed down by Dave Wondrich. I wonder if this might be appealing to a mass audience.

[freshherbs]

don't know if this is helpful, but my first thought was "habanero". could do a nice margarita with a slight habanero kick...i prefer a 2-1-1 with don julio reposado and agave nectar to taste.

[Splificator]

How clutch is the inclusion of seville oranges? I was going to just use all Valencias but is it still worth proceeding this way? I've never had a seville but my image of them suggests they would supply some additional acid and bitterness from the peel. Could this be compensated for by adding more lemon and/or a spoon of orange bitters, or is it even necessary?

The KC recipe calls for Wray & Nephew Rum in place of the then-unavailable Batavia Arrack. In such a small quantity is there a marked difference? I have some Arrack brought back by a travelling friend, but of course not knowing when I could get more I'd prefer to use the readily available WNOP. If it makes a significant difference to the end result I'll use the Arrack though of course, why have it if you're not going to use it?

How much champagne (or sparkling wine in my case) do you recommend? The recipe above suggests 1-2 bottles, which would be 2-4 bottles in the larger KC recipe. Is more really more here, or is just 'sportier'? I would assume that more wine would help dry out what appears to be a slightly sweet recipe (although I imagine punch in a bowl needs to be sweeter than individual drinks). Any thoughts on quantity here, and while we're at I assume inexpensive Spanish Cava or French Cremant will do fine here as it normally does for my purposes, any that you would avoid or will Cristalino suffice?

If you can't get Seville oranges, don't let that get in the way of having a nice bowl of punch. You could try orange bitters, or just say to hell with them. They do add a special something, but it's not an essential special something.

The arrack, however--well, if you've got some, what are you waiting for? This is exactly what it's for. A little bit will aromatize any punch recipe, and it really is irreplacable.

Finally, the champagne. I've ruined more punches by using bad-tasting cheap bubbly. Cava and prosecco both lack the acidity and leanness to make good punch, IMHO. I do, however, like the Gruet, from New mexico, and it's cheap.

I hope this helps!

[thirtyoneknots]

...
I hope this helps!

It does indeed, thank you, I think I'll try it out with the Gruet. Since Arrack is sadly not available here, I am going to test it once without, to see how it does for work purposes. I might toss a jigger or so in ofter tasting it though, I can only imagine how delicious it would be in that context.

Hopefully I can do it just this once without being kicked out of the club

Many thanks for the pointers.

-Andy

[eje]

Oh cool!

We are having a few people over for election day shenanigans. A punch is a most excellent idea that hadn't occurred to me.

[thirtyoneknots]

I've got a batch of Regent's Punch in the fridge for tonight, I'll let you know how it goes.

[Tim Dolan]

the holidays are upon us... what are people making?

And with that being said, anyone (I'm looking at you, Katie and slkinsey) care to expand on some of the punches that were mentioned in this thread? Katie you mentioned a few variations of Fish House punch, and slkinsey mentioned something about "Jersey Lightning" punch. I'd love to rip ideas from all of you then shamelessly pawn them off as my own at the various parties I'll be at this season.

[thirtyoneknots]

I can now personally vouch for the Regent's Punch (listed here) and have been trying a few others scaled down to a practical size for home experimentation. On the Fish House Punch angle, I would not recommend Apry as a substitute for peach, and as the Brizzard Peach is, in my experience, quite difficult to obtain, I might recommend the variation of replacing the original quantity of peach brandy with Laird's Bonded, resulting in a recipe similar to this:

1 lb (~2 cups) sugar
pint lemon juice
24 oz Cognac
12 oz dark Rum
12 oz Laird's Bonded
3 qts water

Big ice, etc.

Apple House Punch? I donno but damn if it isn't delicious, and the Bonded Applejack, while apparently tricky to locate in some places, is, in my experience, waaaay easier to find than quality peach brandy (and you definitely need quality there).